Rumba

I have been on a vintage kick lately, in my perfume journey and it's so much fun to revisit "old friends"...back in the days when everything was big, loud, outrageous and so very fun! I saw this for a good price and thought to give it a try once again. I sprayed Rumba on and oh, the memories. I love the boozy plum opening. The sweet honey- carnation-rose heart, with the bombastic plum-sandalwood-patchouli base ... that lingering honey note...it's a strong and polarizing perfume that, thank goodness, hasn't been reformulated far as I can tell. I canNot believe the price these days, as this was NOT cheap back in the day! This is the strongest toilette I've ever used...and to think I used the perfume! Beastly performance. It trails and wafts in the breeze. Sexy...my guy loves it. So did my UPS delivery guy the other day. I have spent so much on perfumes you have to reapply constantly, it makes me wonder...this cheaply priced baby, outperforms MOST of those in my large collection. It does smell vintage, so the youngsters who have Britney Spears as their signature scent won't be able to appreciate it. It's certainly not for everyone. (But it's really hard to take anyone seriously , who picks a run of the mill celebrity perfume, from the drug store, as their signature scent. Just saying). The long drydown is all honey rose and patchouli. If you don't like patchouli, the drydown won't be your cup of tea. Still, any vintage lover will appreciate this. It has that signature of a time when no one held back. ...this perfume certainly doesn't!

Rumba is, whichever way you decide to approach her, a work of pure art. I remember owning a bottle of her perhaps five years ago, and now I own a new one, as I foolishly gave away the first one. Back then, she was a fragrance that was as potent as they come, a fulgurating fury that seemed to smash a bottle of herself on everyone’s head around me, dousing them with her contents, just from the sillage I was carrying and emitting from several sprays to my body. Today, she is maybe a tad tamer, but still very, very strong. I wore her once before bed and, in the morning, she was still clearly detectable, if considerably faded. The composition cannot be unsmelled or forgotten, she is that original. Honeyed plums, bunches of rustic flowers, dollops of oakmoss (even if my bottle omits to mention it), shiny, polished leather, all manner of goodness is inside, seamlessly blended and endlessly beautiful. I feel like this is the perfect fragrance for a romantic stroll through the city on an autumn Sunday, arm-in-arm with your stronger half, soaking up the last sunny rays and maybe venturing into a museum or art gallery - Rumba is pure romance. Many strong fragrances come across as over-the-top excesses, leaving an impression of gaudy, immoderate taste. Somehow, Rumba avoids falling into the pitfall of corrupt power. She is strong and immaculate at the same time, an aristocrat among women’s perfumes.

Rumba is sexy and religous at the same time. Smells like burning candles. A bit too sweet, but worth the effort.It is too much really, but it is an experience. Really fantastic, although I know that not everyone likes this perfume and that does not really surprise me. I think only a person who is really into fragrance will appreciate this one. It does have and unconscious uplifting and emotional effect on me, and for that reason alone I do love it. If I want to wear something I find really special to set me in the mood for the night, like a drug to which I am addicted, intoxicating, I will wear Rumba and, believe it or not, it does bring about good things, maybe because of the special aura in which it envelopes me. It is intense, and the scent is really really special, not like any other oriental fragrance. Also, I find it extremely comforting, maybe for the resemblance to church smell, burning candles, although I am not religious and rarely have set foot in a church. But that might be the reason why the resemblance to church smell might comfort me. From a nonreligious person's viewpoint, it might be seen as a quiet, intimate, tranquility inspiring place. And, by no means nearly as important, I love the name and the bottle. A smashing fragrance. Also love what they say and totally agree: the perfume of a woman (or a man) who wants to be unforgettable.

I love the honey/sweet and salty/sour notes in Ted Lapidus Rumba! It's a really rich and interesting fragrance, opening with what seems like a blast of citrus, developing into a sweet & sour, underlying rich note that borders on rotting fruits, rich, smoky, and leathery, but still winds up being gorgeous, all around. I think the mirabelle plum -- also found in Chloe Nomade -- may give Rumba that awesome funk; something about mirabelle plum is sour and almost citrusy, if that is, in fact, the note I'm smelling in both (they both boast oakmoss, too). But while Nomade verges on the masculinity and cheapness of an Axe body spray, and to me has a grudging and depressed mien, Rumba stays spicy, enthusiastic, outgoing, and fun. Even though its mood is totally different, its closest relative to Rumba that I know of is Rochas Femme, with its leathery, salty/cumin, dark plum. But where Femme is dark, brooding, mature and a little world-weary, Rumba is ready to go out for the sunny day and dance late into the starry night... However, it may be necessary to reapply because I'm not sure its longevity is as great as its sillage. I love Rumba and will definitely enjoy it for years to come. <3

I don't know where to start. She’s badly good! i don't bother you by describing the scent because it’s extremely complex and unique to my nose. All i can say is this is a very good fragrance and it’s very inexpensive. If you enjoy classic fragrances, do yourself a favor and grab a bottle. It’s easily 10/10 for me. Jean-Claude Ellena and Ron Winnegrad knows how to do it right. When two masters work together, you know the result is something special. And indeed this is a special creation. For such a low price it’s very surprising that how great it is. Though we have lots of good stuff that are cheap, but this one is on another level. Extremely sensual-sexual-very romantic-passionat-joyful-somehow sad and happy at the same time-very complex-deep-full of contrasts-balanced-thoughtful-meaningful It’s create a very clean and clear picture in my mind with all the details, but it gets too long for share. Don't fool by notes and main accords, you should experience it. And it’s chypre. Performance is excellent. Masterpiece *_* ( beware is not for everyone )

It starts medicinal and herbal, similar to an after-shave, then mellows into decadent indolic flowers and waxy honey. I got this as a blind buy for the tuberose, but jasmine is the most prominent flower to my nose. Strangely, patchouli is a top note here. It screams at you at the first spritz, but it fades out gently. The incense and the wax make this scent devotional, reminiscent of a gothic church. I get no rumba, no sexy, sweaty brunette in a black dress dancing the night away. No, this is a woman who sneaks out at night to engage in secret, kinky actitivies then buttons herself up in black lace and goes to church the next Sunday morning like it never happened. A perfect scent for the female main character of My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier, a widow who is passionate about gardening and concocting herbal remedies, goes to church regularly, and when no one is looking seduces gullible men.

This is perfume perfection. I sprayed some this morning and 10 hours later I can still smell it. It is flower bomb booziness...but no soft flowers here, it's very strong like you were smelling a bouquet of the headiest tabbaco flowers soaked in fruit liquor. It has the spicy sparkling quality of old Yvresse - YSL, but this one is aged in ambery woodiness. It is reminiscent of Talisman - Balenciaga, even Diva - Ungaro without the powdery feel. It remindes me of my paternal grandmother but not in the sense that it's old fashioned. She was ahead of her time, emancipated and well educated, she loved to travel, smoke and talk politics, drink greek style coffee and a shot of whiskey from time to time, she wore bespoke dresses with colorful prints...she was always an apparition. Her apartment was full of art, curious objects from distant lands and books. This perfume smells like that.

From the moment I sniffed the bottle, she called me inside to a time when life was much less simple. A time when women did not yet know how to exercise their independence, because they were still fighting for it. A time when smelling like flowers and cigarettes and skank and a little bit of demure sweetness was the closest thing you got to walking out on "your place." Perfumes in the 1980s were a time of self discovery and self expression. Big hair, big shoulder-pads, and big scents compensated for insecurity of what tomorrow would being. For just a moment this scent grounds me in that time. This is a gorgeous blend. It reminds me a lot of Caesar's World Women (I'm sure many will disagree). The leather is present but does not assault the nose. A successful blind buy!

This fragrance is absolutely gorgeous. Upon first spray, it is immensely heady and glamorous, if not slightly overpowering. A little goes a long way...2-3 sprays do the trick and it lasts for 10 plus hours on my skin. I did not look at the notes, but It smells waxy, like red lipstick or candles, spicy, rich and sweet. It reminds me of Chinatown By Bond no 9 because it smells vintage like, like a movie stars dressing table...dark wood, white flowers...cosmetics. I am wearing it now, despite the heat just because I love it. Rumba is definitely a more mature scent, reminiscent of the 80's and early nineties, so be prepared for that. You simply cannot beat the price...so if you blind buy it, as I did, your investment will be small. Love it!

Que DELICIA de manjericão!, nossa, ele brilha na minha pele e combina perfeitamente com essas frutas gordas e esse mel (que parece explodir em mim desde a saída ), em seguida o festival de flores desabrocham e os cravos e tuberosas estão em peso nessa festa saudando o mel, as frutas carnudas e os seres verdes, este perfume parece ser algo divino, ritualístico, para atrair fartura e prazer, sabe? É maximalista e nunca imaginei que algo assim pudesse ser tão elegante e sedutor, imagino que quem contribui fortemente é a nota de couro e com toda certeza é um dos perfumes com construção mais prazerosa que senti na vida. Perfume de mulher pagã que cultua a natureza. ✵✯✶⚝✧٭*

A triumphant hymn to femininity, a fragrance with an extraordinary, kaleidoscopic olfactory pyramid. Rumba by Ted Lapidus first Balenciaga, a masterful fragrance created by the great master Jean-Claude Ellena. The historic feminine fragrances are magical, mystical, full of surprising, wonderful shades, difficult to understand if you don't love them deeply. Rumba is an exciting symphony orchestra of chords and notes: amber, animalic, boises, fruity, floral, with an immense heart of palpable honey, which is the vibrant soul that holds the entire blend together in its sparkling beauty. Rumba is the fragrance that represents femininity par excellence. Masterpiece

Well wasn't this a delightful surprise! A delicious amberesque escape vehicle from a cold dark winter's day. I bought this warm day in a bottle to up my cart in order to recieve free shipping and I am so glad I did! I think I might even like it more than the bottle of Kenzo Jungle which accompanied it. It's so well blended that you can barely discern one note from the next and yet it is so warm and inviting. I just can't stop sniffing it, which is easy given that this beast RADIATES like a monster with a will to do harm! Don't estimate the power of an 80s throwback, give it a try, because it is dirt cheap and outbeasts many fragrances of its elite callibre.

This definitely has a vintage flare and I don't mind. Rumba is an older more mature relative of Givenchy Amarige...honeyed peach with marigolds are main players here followed by leather and oakmoss...gardenia gives it a slight creaminess and lily of the valley adds a soapy touch. I could totally see a guy rocking this as well as leather and oakmoss keep this scent from being too sweet. Hard to believe it's an edt as it behaves like an edp. To me this is a night out scent probably best suited for fall/winter. You'll appreciate this scent only if you're into vintages otherwise might find it polarizing. For me it's a nostalgic Love.

After all these "fragrance years"....I finally sniffed Rumba !! Then I HAD TO have a bottle. Rumba is old school classic....ect....... It is similar in "vibe" to quite a few other scents, IMO, like Montana Parfum de Peau, Sisley Eau de Soir, Animal, ect...Which I do own and like a lot. So, Rumba for me is "just another brick in the wall", and OH ! what a wall it is !! LOL I love it !! I need to try the vintage Balenciaga version some day....???....!!! Rumba has surely/obviously been re-formulated....but it is still a powerhouse scent. Welcome Rumba, let's dance !!!

Lovers of syrupy sweet and fruity fragrances will hate this. Rumba is a grown up mossy delight with lots of woody notes and a few florals to balance it out. It reminds me of the heavy hitters everyone wore in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Aldehydic, persistent and aromatic. I love the bouquet this evokes upon spraying, you‘ll enjoy it on your skin for a good 6 hours and you’ll get compliments but mainly from men...some of the ladies at work are walking LVEB dispensers.

Just finished my first bottle today and thankfully I have a backup ready to go. This is the perfect cold weather scent. The wafts in clouds with utter extreme boujee vibes. Sweet, ambery, raspberry, honey, 80's lipstick in a New York tower wearing chic couture. Up close, it's dirty, animalic, smokey and offensive. I love both sides of this fragrance, but it's the wafting clouds that makes this such a rich, complex, old money "Pretty Lady" frag. 10/10.

I ordered the Balenciaga version, but got Ted-Lapidus instead...was not happy about that. Scent wise, its core is very, very similar to Ysatis, which I absolutely LOVE. The only difference is the top fruity notes and the touch of leather in the dry down of Rumba. If you love Ysatis, you will love Rumba. I've ordered an older version of the Balenciaga, so I will come back and compare the 2 once I've received it, and tried both on my skin.

This is a typical 80s powerhouse bomb with loud floral opening almost repulsive, for a second there I was afraid if it’s too overpowering and offends my family. But the dry down is so beautifully earthy. This could be Boucheron older sister, but it is infused with a dash of earthy vetiver of dioressence. It’s impressive given the cheap price tag. As I am writing this and sniffing my arm, I’m already thinking of stocking up on this one.

Wow! There is a lot going on there! Its as if it morphs into a new incarnation every 15 minutes. It starts off like fruit in a forest but there is also wood, tonka,patchouli,smoke,leather and musk.It starts of very masculine in my opinion. A half hour later flowers, leather, musk tonka and patchouli.An hour later the fruit and flowers are withering and it softly smouldering. The whole scent rests on a heavy base Very nice.

Love love it. It's a good chypre and projection and longtivity is above average. The floral and Oriënt is not projecting very strong on my skin just slightly. Most of Ted Lapidus perfumes don't project very well with a short longtivity. But this one and the rumba passion will do the job perfectly. Both are delicious and making me happy wearing them. I have a vintage one of maybe 8 to 10 years old. 😊♥️

This is really beautiful. It's definitely got a vintage feel from the carnation, marigold and heliotrope. But the honey and vanilla smooth this juice out and the raspberry and plum add a fruity complexity. The ambergris is subtle and brings such a nice richness. It's Very lush and deep and complex. This is one of those that's gets better the older it gets. We need to make vintage perfumes vogue again.

Smoky and honied plum and peaches, becomes a heavy cacophany of spicy florals, settles into a lovely oakmoss & leather base with more smoky plum reemerging. Major powerhouse, hits you over the head and doesn't stop as it settles on the skin. Projects around the entire body and leaves a very noticeable trail. Best in cool weather, because this only requires body heat to bloom and shine as intended.

I got this as another addition to my vintage foray.On a whim and for a song. So glad I got it!! I love it, very 80's in feel. Strongly reminds me of Mackie, which I also have. strong floral with sweetness, balsamy warm notes. Like a warm hug that stays all day. I can see how this would not be for everyone, and then not maybe an everyday scent. But a masterful creation. Recommend.

Fabulous, extraordinary perfume makes you go wow! So rich and intoxicating. This is on fire, so hot! It radiates a warm happy glow. A symphony of fragrance notes in perfect harmony. Wave after wave of luscious perfume dancing the Rumba! Great value. Attractive bottle, shame cap is plastic, crystal would be more pleasant.

As a female fan of this gorgeous scent, and in answer to the previous two posts, this can absolutely be worn by a man without even a slight question as to whether he is wearing "women's perfume". This is deep and mature and perfect for classy people.

A ravishing powerhouse, that's all I can say about it. @Nursemike defines it perfectly, its ever changing incarnations are just BEYOND. Can't believe how cheap it is and why it took me so long to buy it.

I adore this - it has such a fresh blast of everything and the kitchen sink initially - then settles a little bit. Warm, glowing, floral and spicy...such a mishmash but it works.

Tested it some years ago,and what i can say:a bomb!!Women's eros liquefied!I would meet a daring girl wearing something like this!

Very nice and suitable for men and women

This formulation has got to be the Heinz 57 of the perfume world, and undoubtedly, few could follow all 29 ingredients. Having now seen the sheer number, I almost wish they would have added just one more thing to make an even thirty. But no! Jean-Claude Ellena reached one shy, tossed down his blotter, and proclaimed completion. Surely someone else at that table felt the same way I do. Seems like such an opportunity wasted. As usual, I digress. I couldn't possibly begin to pull specific compounds, in a discussion of the merits of this fragrance, without confusing all of us. In recipe alone, this is a sensational, muddling mess. So, we will pull the lens out a bit, take a wider look, and peer at the composition in its intended entirety. I think the first thing that strikes me is the battle within the confines of scent and space. Men might envision a war scene; two armies pushing each other along an imaginary line, bent on concrete dominance and complete destruction. I think more of a dancing pair, each symbiotic movement establishing a passionate pivot point. The fluidity of power, transferred from one to the other, rhythmically and in-step. Strong floral notes resisting fresh aromatics. Sticky chords of unctuous fruits, ambered with honey, pulling at the pungent, living earth; expressing the presence of oakmoss and patchouli. Sturdy and sound woods, grab onto delicately ethereal, powdery whispers of heliotrope and vanilla. The tangy, animalic fragrance of leather, styrax, and ambergris growl against the characteristic peppery sting of marigold and carnation. All of this motion atop a floor of pleasing, soapiness. Lily of the Valley and orange blossom shine with the silvery sheen of freshly polished wax. This isn't the Rumba to me, this is the Tango! Tenderly erotic and unabashedly direct. Much on the lines of other potent concoctions, like Poison or Amarige, this darling must be decanted on the warmth of skin, for a solid thirty minutes prior to sharing it with the world. Roaming innocents and possible encounters deserve to face the tamed effects of Rumba's heart or dry-down. Restraint of spray, and application on the skin, will certainly gain you points within the community. Personally, I'm not quite sure how long it will stay in my collection, but what I do know, is that I haven't been challenged like this in a very long time. It deserves consideration for sure, maybe even a good deal of admiration. I'll let you be the judge of that.

The best way to describe this fragrance from my point of view is the one that follows: I like it and I also hate it. Let me explain: Firstly, I get a spa vibe from it. It's a vintage herbal fragrance with a honey base. That's also floral, I get the marigold note very well, actually this reminds me of marigold cream somehow. I also can smell something bitter, and I think that's the leather note. I would've love the leather to smell like suede here. I like the frag, but I need to be very confident to wear this outside. The downside is the drydown. I hate it. It smells like bad breath, I think that's from the civet note, I guess? That's why I fell this duality towards Rumba. It's sensual, clean and dirty at the same time. Very vintage. I saw it has some votes that it is similar with Dior Poison. Although I can see some reseblance, I would say I like Rumba better haha. It doesn't have the quality of ingredients like Poison, but I like the blending options for this one better. The performance is incredible, idk if I have any fragrance to last this long. Wish the drydown didn't smell like bad breath though, it ruins the fragrance :( Scent: 6/10 Sillage: 10/10 Longevity: 10/10 Bottle: 8/10

The plum and honey is quite straightforward in the opening, and it gets more and more animalic as it dries down. It shares the same structure as Diva of Ungaro. It is a beast mode, so please do not overspray! Overall I like it, although I'm not sure if I love it. I think Ted Lapidus usually have high-quality frags with interesting ideas behind them, that's why I bought one when I noticed a local Chemist Warehouse displayed some really old stock of Rumba selling at AUD 40 per 100ml. The opening itself reminds me of White Diamonds if anyone agrees? It's sweeter than White Diamonds though. And White Diamonds doesn't go down the animalic path as Rumba does. I speciafically tried to compare it with Aromatic Elixier of Clinique, as the bottle design and color both reminds me. AE leans strong on oak moss, while that's not so obvious in Rumba. And AE is more simply structured. Overall AE leans on the bitter and medicinal side while Rumba floral and sweet. It's a good vintage feeling one! Glad I got a bottle to play with.

To my inexpert nose this could be a 2nd cousin to Plum Japonais. I have not tried it on my skin yet. I sprayed this 2 or 3 times into the air about 5 hours ago. I came back to the area and wherever the spray fell around my sofa smells of Rumba. It has the potential to be beastly. I can only hope for a similar response on my skin. The smell evokes the words from a popular song. Rumba is savage...ratchet, bougie, nasty. EDIT: My taste in perfume runs towards the unusual. I love Rumba. My skin soaks up fragrance so I went in with six sprays (I'm at home today) and I don't regret it. It's magnificent. If there is such a thing as an oriental fruity floral I think this is it. It's going to go in with the fall and winter fragrances. It's long lasting and the sillage is heavy. Beware it may make you feel like putting on some Isley Brothers or Luther Vandross, wearing something low-cut with your best push up bra.

This is a very interesting perfume. I love vintage perfumes but I don't have a perfume like this in my collection. I can smell the leather and a smokey incensey accord. I can't really notice any sweetness in particular, my skin amplifies the florals but I get barely anything sweet from the fruits (I wish I got more sweetness, but its just my personal preference). The plum reminds me a bit of Femme Rochas but without the cumin, it reminds me a bit of Plum Japonais from Tom Ford too. I keep spraying my wrist everyday to "study" the scent and I swear each day I pick up another different note from it. By the way I think it suits a man too, its quite unisex. Unfortunately on my skin there is a strange unpleasant note on the dry down that I'm not a fan of, so I have to give it away.

Ted Lapidus/ Balenciaga Rumba (1989) - chypre bouquet - Before his streamlined style, #jeanclaudeellena made this bombastic powerhouse of a scent for Balenciaga that they later sold to Ted Lapidus. I will not dare dissect individual notes as it’s far too complex to do so. I get an indolic and sultry Tuberose-Jasmine mixed by a wild assortment of floral components. Dark and fleshy stone-fruits and herbal aromatics. Animalic tanned leather hides, Amber accords amidst a chypre backbone. Not for the faint of heart who like clean & more modern scents, but those that enjoy chypre, orientals and complex florals - a definite buy.

Another piece of nostalgia for me. As far I can remember its performance was nuclear. One spray was enough. Overspraying will definitely choke you. My my it was strong. The scent is definitely vintage, smelt pleasant with moderations. If you overspray the animalic notes in it will choke you. I have experienced the stinky horror caused by overspraying so I am warning everyone. For current demographic it's not a safe blind buy unless you love strong animalic vintage scents.It always surprises me how potent the perfumes used to be in the past, now a days most of the fragrances are watered down in comparison.

On me I get leather, more leather, tonka bean oakmoss and just the tiniest hint of fruit. It’s an almost masculine fragrance, and I quite like that about it. It’s dark, and mysterious and is quite reminiscent of the fluid sensuality of the dance for which it is named. Its androgynous sexuality makes it quite an interesting fragrance, reminiscent in character to E’tat Libre D’Orange’s Delicious Closet Queen. I can imagine a fragrance like this on a young David Bowie, with his Lauren Bacall hairdo and sinful ethereal beauty, and if that’s not glamorous I don’t know what is.

I had this in my collection. Twice. Briefly. It's a fantastic, old school fragrance, big bold and leaves a wonderful trail. Full of notes that I love and has the strength and longevity that I search for. So why was it only briefly in my collection? My first bottle was stolen by my husband and the second by my son! In fairness, it does smell damn good on them! I'll repurchase but it will be for my son, as he's now made the scent his own and I'm glad that he has good taste 😊

My son told me I smelt like the inside of a Mystic New Age shop... Yep that about sums up the description of this fragrance. There are so many notes it's hard to tell what is going on. It's absolutely gorgeous but you need to be one hell of a woman to pull it off. Meek little me will secretly keep to wearing this at home.

Rumba sure says 1980's! This is in the same vein as Poison. If you're a fan of Poison or Lou Lou, you will probably like this. Sweet, syrupy, and boozy plum, intense leather, floral notes of marigold and tuberose, and earthy oakmoss. This has some serious staying power. You don't need much!

This is one of the most perfect vagabond-whore type fragrances ever! Surreal. Fantastic. Savage. Pungent. Narcotic. Poisonous. Bitchy. Sensual. Wear it to kill! I think everyone who loves Rumba hates it a little bit deep inside (like I do) but keeps loving it.

This is good, I detect leather, plum and honey. Reminds me of frags avon used to do, this isnt an expensive smell, but if you like spicy and sweet, give it a try

This smells like YSL Rive Gauche! There is this sharp something that I hadn't expected. It's not bad,but not nearly as good as Création.

It smells like when I’d hide cigarette butts in my nana’s flower bush

I love this spicy orange blossom suede

The Dancer by Gustav Klimt 1907

I so wanted to like this. But it's really too much for me. Someone described it as too "perfumey". And it really is. In a very old school way, and usually I love old school. I keep giving Rumba another try, because I bought a full bottle of it. At least it didn't cost much. All I can say is that it doesn't smell as bad in cold weather. And I'm someone who thinks the vast majority of fragrances smell good, even the ones that simply aren't to my personal taste. But Rumba is really on the borderline of being downright unpleasant.

SO many ingredients listed for this one! I only thought it opened up with notes that some people call “dirty”. I believe it’ll suit people who appreciate LouLou by Cacharel and The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. The bottle appears to be of very good quality, especially given how inexpensive it is. I later noticed that the bottle was an exact copy of Rumba by Balenciaga, which blew my brain. I didn’t realise one could sell a perfume to another house just like that - lock, stock, and barrel. PS: I tested it once again just because the next-day dry-down on the paper strip was pleasant, evoking a slightly smoky sour-sweet plum (and plum is indeed listed among the base notes). But to get to this fairly pleasant destination, one has to endure the very confronting and off-putting wafts of the first day. One must enjoy the smell of those Indian burning incense sticks to appreciate this fragrance. Go figure why many reviewers should be so enamoured of this one.

This perfume landed on my radar because I love sweet scents, and I'm obsessed with honey notes. So I blind bought this for a good price. (I also wanted Rumba Passion, but this was cheaper) Well.... I'm a smoker and I thought my test on paper was ruined because it was in my purse (the purse of a smoker). It did smell like a sweet church scent, but it reeked of cigs. So I redid the napkin test and let dry on my desk, no where near my smoky self. Anddd... it still smells like stale cigarettes. I'm already a gross smoker, I don't need to smell like an old ashtray. Besides that, I just get florals. Nothing sweet-like. There are so many notes, it's hard for me to tell what isn't working. I'll give this a shot on my skin, but it's not really for me. So, on my skin I get an intense incense/church and very strong original TIDE detergent. Nothing sweet or appealing to me at all. But two squirts on my skin had impressive sillage/potency!

The first thing I get is... salt (maybe ambergris or leather). Salty spicy honey. Or even sweet pickles, maybe cornichons. I don't mean that this perfume smells _like_ pickles, but the combination of salty, spicy and sweet notes in the opening evokes this association. It is very, very strong, so that I cannot wear it inside, even with half a spray. But outside, in the warm breeze, it has enough space to develop. In the middle notes, it becomes spicy honey with a salty undertone. The salt reminds me of bodily fluids, if you know what I mean, but in a good although indecent way. It is interesting to follow this scent's development, even if it's not easy to wear. Overall it's a heavy 80s perfume with a lot of tuberose. For me, tuberose is a bit problematic which is why I don't think I will be wearing Rumba a lot, it's not really my style. I don't recommend buying it blind (although I did).